Conservation Northwest protects and connects old-growth forests and other wild areas from the Washington Coast to the British Columbia Rockies, vital to a healthy future for us, our children, and wildlife. Since 1989, Conservation Northwest has worke
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Into the future Keeping it wild Together we have not just protected, but connected, millions of acres of wildlife habitat across Washington and British Columbia, from the 45,000 acres reconnecting the North and South Cascades across I-90 to the five million acres in BC's Inland Temperate Rainforest, and everything in between. Some of our most exciting work is just beginning. Fishers will be reintroduced in the Cascades. Wolf recovery will con- tinue to spread westward across the state, together with grow- ing social acceptance. And an active effort to reintroduce or recover grizzly bears in the Cascades will finally begin, thanks to leadership from Conservation Northwest's International Conservation Director Joe Scott. Over the next 25 years, you can expect a continuation of Conservation Northwest's major role in shaping most forestry projects on the Okanogan-Wenatchee and the Colville Na- tional Forests. e results of our forest field program, led by Science and Conservation Director Dave Werntz, are forest projects that are science-based and more ecologically restor- ative than commercially extractive. As the climate continues to change, Conservation North- west will increasingly focus on helping natural ecosystems adapt to support the biodiversity which Americans care about. e biggest threat on our public lands is the overbuilt logging road network, which harms not just wildlife but streams and fish, especially as storms and floods increase. Shrinking this backcountry road network, as well as protecting habitat cor- ridors and providing safe passage across busy highways, will likely be a mainstay of Conservation Northwest's work. With your support, Conservation Northwest will play a role in bringing people together to find common ground with diverse stakeholders. What a great change it has been that we've helped find ways to empower, enable, and unite allies across government silos. Our job isn't to fight the government, but to help it be efficient and effective for the public good. Our annual Wild Links conference, organized by Conserva- tion Northwest's Jen Watkins, is an important example of that and will continue to make real headway for habitat connectiv- ity, climate adaptation, and carnivore recovery. In the past 25 years, Conservation Northwest has worked to find durable solutions to protect wildlife habitat, and that means creating and empowering community. Whether it be a commu- nity in the far reaches of northeast Washington with folks who don't always agree, or building capacity for our movement by giving a college student an opportunity to turn an internship into a lifetime career, or our amazing community of supporters, many of whom have been with us from the beginning. Dreams and goals Conservation Northwest established 25 years ago have been realized to an almost miraculous extent. roughout three names changes and many other adaptations and resuscitations, we are winning our quest to keep the North- west wild. is you should certainly expect in the quarter cen- tury ahead. ank you for joining us! The next 25 years will see an even wilder Northwest. mitch Friedman Executive director, mitch@conservationnw.org Making connections We're bringing wildlife connections to life in Wash- ington's Cascades. In the next few years, wildlife will routinely navigate Interstate 90 using three already com- pleted underpasses, and we will celebrate the first of two completed I-90 wildlife bridges connecting habitat north and south in the Cascades for bears, wolverines, elk, and more. With partners, we'll continue our work restoring tens of thousands of acres of habitat near these crossings. We are thrilled to announce our part in a new wildlife initiative. "Working for Wildlife" is a seven-year plan ap- proved by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to protect a wildlife habitat corridor linking the Cascades to the Rockies. As part of the project, in the near future mule deer will cross safely under the first of three wild- life underpasses built on Highway 97 in the Okanogan Valley. I celebrate our 25th year inspired by the changes I've already witnessed on our landscape and determined to see through greater change by our 30th anniversary! –Jen Watkins, conservation associate 25th anniversary Cascades bear sign. © Eric Zamora Chelan-Sawtooth wolf tracks. © Dave Moskowitz Spring-summer 2014 7